bakerstreet | ( picture prompt meme )

[ She can't help the small smile that forms on her lips when she looks at him talking about his team. Jack sometimes gets that same look on his face when talking about the younger and newer Overwatch operatives like Hana.

And to that comment about Lance, that smile parts for a genuine laugh, and she feels herself calming down quite a bit. ]

Symmetra? Don't get me wrong, she's super awesome at what she does and she's so pretty--

[ Hana doesn't want to say the woman has a stick up her butt, but-- ]

But she kinda has a stick up her butt. We're working on that, though! We even got her to party with us one night. It was amazing.

[As far as Shiro is concerned his team is the best. He's aware each of them have flaws but their strengths far outweigh those. He can honestly use the word 'honored' when he gets to be a part of them each growing into their own potential. And watching them work together... yeah, he couldn't be prouder.

His eyes slip sideways and his smile grows a bit as they round the curve in the stairs and the noise of the room below fades. He never has to worry about Hana not telling things exactly the way they are and he appreciates that about her. Even more so in a building surrounded by diplomats.]

Sounds like exactly the kind of girl Lance would zero in on. [He pauses for a moment as they reach the next floor and he looks around, heading down the main hallway. You don't put a star room in a room off in a corner.]

Actually, he'll hit on just about anything. His heart's in the right place. Does Symmetra dance?

[ Hana's mind is totally preoccupied with going over all of the reasons why Symmetra is awesome but also in serious need of Letting Loose, so she lets Shiro take the lead on finding the star room. She gives a shrug of her shoulders at his question with a thoughtful look on her face. ]

She does! She's really graceful, too. But I'm pretty sure he's way too young for her.

[ And casually, she adds: ] She could also light-bend him into another dimension if she felt like it, I think. Symmetra's OP.

Anyway, it's not gonna happen. That's all I'm saying! But I'm not worried. Blue guy's got a lot of pretty girls he can talk to at this party.

[ Well, except for one Hana Song. ]

[Shiro's brows lift slightly at the new fact and he briefly wonders if he should warn Keith to make sure Lance doesn't get light bent before deciding throwing someone into another dimension is probably off-limits in a place like this. Besides, if she really wanted to blow Lance off, Lance would move on. As Hana said, there are plenty of other pretty people he can talk to here and Lance, for all his confidence, isn't the kind to ignore a hard 'no'.

God knows, Shiro has to tell him no often enough for things that don't involve flirting.

He grins over at Hana walking next to him.]

Well, I ran off with the prettiest one. Lance will have to make due with whoever's left.

[ The look that crosses over her face is equal parts surprised, flattered, and amused. But that only lasts briefly as she lifts the hand that's holding the two bottles of sodas and gives him a light jab at the arm.

Jeez. Even his human arm feels like it's made out of steel. ]

Aww, Shiro, you're being way too nice.

[There's a short chuckle at her tease and he shakes his head, coming to a stop in front of what look like pretty official doors with a 'no guests beyond this point' sign on them. The doorknob is unlocked though and he gives it a turn and a light push so they can look inside.]

I'm just calling it like I see it. Lance can keep track of all the second place runners. I've got the number one with me.

[ Hana leans forward as the door opens to peer into the room, and her hair tumbles over her shoulder as she does so, although she's careful not to let it fall onto the plate full of food. Even in its darkness she can see what a wide expanse of a room it is and then she casts another glance over her shoulder, looking past Shiro and back down the hallway they'd come from to make sure they're not being followed.

But at his words, her gaze lifts up to meet his again, and she smiles a big, confident smile. Definitely feeling more like herself from the compliment. She can do compliments. She's very used to getting those. ]

That's right, I'm number one! [ it's said like a catchphrase. Mostly because it is a catchphrase for her. ] Come on, let's go in before someone notices us sneaking in.

[ Then, with a quiet conspiratorial giggle, she straightens up her posture and goes on in. ]

[Her hair falls forward over her bare shoulders and he locks his teeth together and lets the exhale out slow through his nose.

And then he's going to sit in a dark room with her - and talk because his family raised him right.

He intentionally used the phrase though, knowing it would bolster her. Her shy vulnerability had tugged hard at him and he'd be lying if he didn't admit it had felt good, to realize that she was aware enough of him to be flustered - but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable or out of balance internally to the point it bothered her. Little moments of it - he'd admit he enjoyed but not long lengths of it. She'd earned her right to be confident, he loved it about her. It wasn't something he wanted damaged, even if a shake in it every now and then was gratifying if it was for him.

Her giggle helps re-center him and he follows her into the room, shutting the door quietly behind them.

It's obvious the room is in the process of being renovated. What he assumes are stacks of chairs are covered with cloth in one corner and it's just wide stairs in a circle leading down to a circular center. The floors are all marble though and so clean he's sure they cleared up all the loose plaster and detritus for the gala. It's not the room itself though that's the focus on the entire thing. It's the ceiling. Because the ceiling is a dome of utterly translucent glass and through that the stars look like he's usually only seen them from space, myriad and sharp and forever.]

Here. [He goes down a few steps and sets his plate down before unbuttoning his jacket and putting it on one of the stairs, lining down in case there's anything left on the polished steps they can't see in just the starlight. He's well aware how quickly anything black picks up. His jacket can handle some in the lining but her black dress would pick it up and advertise it in a heartbeat. Then he sits down on the step above it, long legs on the step below and picks up his plate again. With his other hand he pats the jacket.] Sit down and lean your back up against one of my legs. We can try your soda and watch the stars for a little while.

[ While Shiro forges on and prepares a spot for them, Hana is-- paused. Enraptured. In awe as she looks up at the glass canopy above them and the stars beyond that. She spends most of her time in cities where the stars are hidden from view or on battlefields where there isn't much of an opportunity for stargazing between trying to survive. Even when she's posted at Watchpoint Gibraltar with Overwatch, there's hardly time to sit outside and look up at the sky.

Which--really sucks, she thinks, because the sight she's greeted with at this moment is amazing, and certainly a pleasant surprise. Space has always fascinated her. She even remembers doing a livestream of watching the Kerberos mission launch years ago, because it was exciting to her and something she wanted to share with her fans. That space is probably second nature to Shiro is something she admires and, admittedly, is a little jealous of. But Hana also knows that she's got responsibilities that tie her down to Earth and intelligent and capable and confident she may be, astronaut she is not.

It's not until he speaks up with instructions that she peels her eyes away from the stars. It takes her a moment to register what exactly he means, to notice something on the steps and then another moment to register that it's his suit jacket.

Have his shoulders always been so broad? ]

You set your jacket down just for me? [ She chuckles again. ] Wow.

[ Then gingerly, she walks over, but before she starts down the steps she kicks her heels off to the side, and steps past Shiro so she can settle down on the step below him, putting her plate and the two bottles of soda down beside her. As instructed, she leans and presses her back to his leg and rests the back of her head to his knee, but not before she brings a hand under her hair and brushes it to the side so it spills over the front of her shoulder. After that, she's lifting a hand with a bottle of soda for him to take. ]

This was a super good idea, Shiro. The stars are so pretty.

[He likes her with bare feet. There's something sweet and sexy about it at the same time and it emphasizes just how long her amazing legs are. He lets himself appreciate that as she strolls over and settles down between his legs. There. That's where she belongs. Safely encircled by him. She can have his legs for now because its too early to offer her a spot in arms.

And because he doesn't know that he'd be able to resist kissing her if she was.

He watches the fall of her hair and hums a low sound.

She is, easily, the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and, caught under starlight in the darkness of the room, she casually takes his breath away. It takes him a second to realize when she offers the bottle of soda and to tear his eyes away from her.]

Beautiful.

[He agrees it. And knows he should open his bottle of soda and take his first drink and say - whatever he needs to say. Except he finds himself reaching down instead and touching her cheek in a gentle stroke with the back of his finger.]

Those eyes of yours could swallow stars, galaxies - universes. What hope did I ever have?

[ Hana, in the meantime, has already popped her bottle of Nano Cola open and is taking a swig of it when she hears Shiro mutter "Beautiful," and naturally she draws the conclusion that he's talking about the night sky and nothing, or no one else.

That is, until she feels the touch of his hand once more.

Gradually, she pulls the lip of the bottle away from her own lips and her attention from the stars. Her gaze lifts, fixates briefly on his lips, then on the scar across the bridge of his nose, the newer scar along the side of his face, until it meets his eyes again. For a few moments she's quiet again; her eyelids are brushed with a shimmering shadow and they glisten in the moonlight just as her eyes do as she blinks at him slowly. Her cheeks feel warm again.

What hope did I ever have?

Of what...? ]

Shiro...?

[ She trails off, but before long her lips curl into another small smile and her eyes close when she huffs a light, airy laugh. ]

You're being cheesy again.

[Sometimes a moment needs words and if Shiro can't come up with them himself, he remembers enough to know which ones belong.

He could get lost in her eyes when they're soft and full of stars like this.

And then she closes them, shuts him off from the fall, and smiles. Teases. His own lips curl and he can breathe again. Gentle his finger traces the curve of her chin. His voice stays soft though.]

Yeah. I do that sometimes. [He moves his hand from her chin, stroke her hair back to tuck it behind her ear on the far side.] Part of why you like hanging out with me.

[ She doesn't quite have an explanation for the way Shiro's touch leaves a trail, something that almost feels electrifying, and she especially can't explain how much she enjoys that it has that effect even when he's being so gentle with her.

She lifts her eyelids slowly as she feels his fingers in her hair, and at once her expression turns playful, teasing, confident. ]

Well, that, and all of the free food.

[ Truth of the matter, of course, is that Hana enjoys Shiro's company for much more than just that, even if she doesn't quite realize the nature of it just yet. ]

[Her teasing has him chuckling and the smile spreading into closer to a grin over his face. His hand leaves her hair to lightly tap the tip of her nose.]

Oh, I aware that's a big part of it too.

[Straightening up, he finally pops the cap off his soda, setting it neatly down next to his plate. But he doesn't take a drink, not yet. Instead he lifts that hand and points with a finger at one section of the stars above them.] The planet with the dancing bunnies is there. Far, far, far away but that direction straight on. [A shift of his finger across the dome of the sky and:] And that's the direction of the planet that sold me the keychain of Black.

[ There's a protest on the tip of her tongue at the way he boops her nose, and her face scrunches up for it, nose wrinkling and brows furrowing, but--it fades away as he leans back and then points up at the glass dome.

She follows his direction intently. It's nearly mindblowing to her that the person right next to her has been all the way out there. To somewhere that's so far far away. Right now he's here, beside her, but at the next moment he could be gone and--she wouldn't even know what direction in the sky to look at. ]

I can't believe you've been to so many places in outer space. And so far away, too...

[He takes a sip of the soda, appreciates the bubble and taste of it. So many things he'd missed while he'd been away. He was pretty sure everyone on the team had a list of food they kept to eat each time they got back to Earth. After the first few swallows, he holds the bottle loosely in his hand, over his leg that she's not leaning against and looks up at the stars.

And he feels the tug.

He's always felt the tug but its stronger now. He loves his home, loves being home. When he was a prisoner - it was all he could think of. Getting back. Now he's here and he's so grateful to be here and yet -

the stars still tug at him.

He's left a piece of himself out there somewhere and he can feel it pulling at him. Wanting him back. Wanting to go back. His free hand moves without thinking about it, reaches for her - catches himself and settles on his leg near her head instead.]

Never thought I would. I thought getting to Kerberos was as far as I'd ever get... [An exhale and he watches the stars sing silently in the dark.] And I've got so far to go still.

[ She casts him a sidelong glance when he finally drinks some of the soda, but it's not the gesture that holds her attention-- it's the look on his face when he looks up at the stars. To say he's starry-eyed feels too easy but there's no other way to describe how he looks like he's about to get sucked away into the skies once more. There's also no way to describe how Hana feels like she doesn't want him to go. Not yet, at least. But it's that same exact look on his face that tells her that he's destined to be out there. His fate is in the stars and nothing-- no one can hold him back.

She likes that about him.

There are a few beats of silence before she goes back to looking at the sky and finally pipes back up: ]

Have you ever thought about staying out there forever? Just spend the rest of your life exploring space?

All the time.

[It comes out before he can really think about it but once its said - he knows its the truth. His family is here. His home is here. So much that he loves and cherishes and fights for is here.

She's here.

And yet - and yet he knows he belongs out there, out in the darkness, out in the stars. Its not something he can explain because its so much stronger than just a desire or a dream. It's a grounding knowledge that when he's here, home, on Earth - he's just stealing time until the next time he goes out again. And one day - he doesn't know if he'll come back instead of just continuing going...

He belongs between the stars now. Homesick to get back there...

Pulling in a deep breath, he blinks, looks away from the stars and back down at the woman leaning against him. Gives her a smile.]

I've got good reasons to come back though. I won't be skipping trips back home any time soon.

[ The answer he gives is the answer she's expecting, but-- still, there's a twist in her chest at the way he looks so far away even when he's right beside her and it bids her to wonder what happens when Shiro leaves and decides he really does belong to the stars for the rest of forever.

She'd be stuck here on Earth without him.

But-- she gets it. She understands. It's something fierce that runs through his veins just like taking to battle and winning and defending with all of her might runs in hers. At length, she manages another quiet chuckle and shakes her head. ]

I'm pretty sure having to go to these fancy parties isn't one of those reasons, though, right? I don't blame you for wanting to leave and get back up there.

Earth has its perks.

[His smile is soft as he looks down at her, lets his eyes linger. Earth definitely has its perks. He keeps the bottle in his hand so he doesn't try to touch her again.]

I haven't seen you in that dress before. And no one in space forces me to buy them food when I make a risky decision. I get some really good hugs when I come home. Talking in person is better than trying to do it through space. I get to see how long your hair has gotten. Going to a fancy party I got kidnapped from anyway isn't much of a price when you put it up against that. I've got reasons to want to stay put for a while.

[ The smile on her face gets bigger and brighter as he goes on. It doesn't escape her notice that every item on that list has something to do with her. He is-- ]

So cheesy!

[ Then, playfully, she reaches out with her free hand and gives his other leg a light jab. ]

You're not even gonna give a shoutout to your family? Your mom's hair's gotten longer too, you know.

[Her grins back at her, not at all embarrassed to be called cheesy.

He's pretty sure she likes that about him.

He lets his leg rock with her jab and chuckles. Of course he comes home for his family too - but he's not with his family right now. He's more than sure his family would understand and approve of where his current concentration is.

He does find it endearing that Hana would notice his mother's hair.

Reaching out with his free hand, he gently tugs on a strand of her hair that's over her shoulder.]

Has it? I hadn't realized that. It's my dad's job to keep an eye on her hair length.

[ She clicks her tongue at him, raising the hand that had just jabbed him and wagging a finger. ]

No good, Shiro. Moms like it when their kid notices them, too.

[ But then she lets her hand drop back down, and she rests it on her stomach as Shiro reaches for her hair again. She doesn't stop him. When has she ever? ]

You have such a warm family at home. They're really nice. I can kinda see how you turned out to be all warm and sweet.

[ Her sight drifts back up to the sky, and as she trails off, she gives a quiet little sigh. ]

...I wanna go up there someday, too. Maybe when [ not if ] things get better around here.

[It's cute the way she defends his mother. It's cute in a way that makes his heart twist and relax at the same time and know he's right. He's completely right about her. His face does soften though, when she talks about them. The way she talks about them... he's aware she's an orphan. Pidge filled him in on her history after he decided that an internet search wasn't the best idea. He - can't imagine growing up without his family. Can't imagine how hard that must have been for her. He can guess but he knows its not the same and it makes him glad, all over again, that he sent her to his family. They love her and he knows she's good for them. He hasn't seen his grandmother so energetic since his grandfather died. But... it does his heart good to know that they're good for her too. That maybe they can give her a little bit more of what she missed out on.

There's a little huff from him at 'warm and sweet' but he doesn't disagree. And then he watches her face turn back to the sky and go wistful in a different way and he thinks, again, how completely beautiful she is in starlight. He sets down his soda to cup her cheek.]

Why don't I take you? We can't go far and we'll stay in radio contact in case you're needed but - Black can get us up out of the atmosphere and past the moon in a few ticks. If you have the time soon, I have the lion. We'll go up, write your name on the back of the moon and come back in time for dinner. How's that sound?

[ Hana had some time with her mother, at least. She never knew her father--he was a casualty when the same colossal omnic that attacked Korea and its neighbors arose from the sea for the first time twenty years ago. Her mother died before Hana became a teenager; she has fond memories of the woman working so hard to raise her daughter by herself in a world thrust into war once again. It's why she easily defends Shiro's mother. It's why she likes her and grandmother so much. All of them, really.

She's a little lost in thought between recollections of Shiro's family and her own, for how little time she had one-- that her eyes widen in surprise again when she feels his hand on her cheek. His touch seems to send jolts through her body again, but--

It's his words that really electrify her and she lights up like a Christmas tree with a smile that's bright and excited and eyes that are wild and wanting and all of a sudden so very determined as she turns her body to face him fully, setting her soda down so she can reach up and grab him by the shoulders. ]

Are-- are you serious? For real, Shiro, you'd better not be joking. You can do that? Just-- take me out to space for a day? And write on the moon?!

That would be so awesome.

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